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With the Passat now long dead and the Arteon only recently meeting its demise, the Jetta is now the only remaining gas-powered sedan in Volkswagen's lineup. Fortunately, the automaker is choosing not to ignore its rival to the Honda Civic, especially after it became VW's third-bestselling model in the first quarter of 2024. Now there's a second update in store for the seventh-generation Jetta to keep things fresh, with hopes that it will continue the recent jump in sales. The updates include sharper styling, more standard features, updates to the sporty Jetta GLI, and most importantly, an affordable starting price.
For 2025, the Jetta has abandoned last year's bland, rental-spec looks, and instead it injects some much-needed style with a thinner design for the headlights and upper grille, as well as a stylish LED light bar on higher trims and a full-width rear light bar connecting each taillight. Elsewhere, there are redesigned bumpers, new designs for the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels (including a black package available for the SE and GLI), and two new exterior color options––Monterey Blue Pearl and Monument Gray.
The cabin also dials in on style this time around, though cheap plastic materials continue to run rampant on the dashboard and center console. Nonetheless, some effort is visible with the new hidden air vents blending into three horizontal slats that span the upper area of the dashboard, along with a new floating design for the central infotainment display, which upgrades to an 8.0-inch format as standard for all trims. All Jetta models also come standard with dual-zone automatic climate control, though it's now controlled through VW's dreaded capacitive touch controls rather than the old physical buttons.
The SE trim continues to sit just above the entry-level S, and it adds a considerable amount of standard equipment, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice controls for the infotainment, a cooled wireless charger, SiriusXM radio, and two-tone perforated Microcloud leatherette seats. Elsewhere, the Sport now comes with black Molekular cloth seats, the SEL adds some new colors for its perforated Vienna leather upholstery, and the GLI adds red contrast stitching for its seats.
The new Jetta offers the same powertrains as before, which means the standard engine option is a turbocharged 1.5 liter inline-four connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission, sending 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels only. Unfortunately, the six-speed manual, which was available on last year's S and Sport trims, has been deleted.
The sportier Jetta GLI still sends 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque to its front wheels with a turbocharged 2.0 liter inline-four hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. While the manual has disappeared from the standard Jetta, Volkswagen looks to please enthusiasts by keeping it as an option on the GLI. Alongside the renewed manual, the sportier Jetta continues to differentiate itself with larger brakes, a limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, and upgrades to the exhaust system.
All 2025 Jetta models come standard with Volkswagen's IQ.Drive driver-assist suite, which includes radars in the front and rear, a camera in front, and an ultrasound sensor system. The package also comes with more advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking, a blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist, as well as Emergency Assist, which actively determines whether the driver is paying attention or not, and has the ability to use the brakes and activate the hazards if the driver is deemed to have lost control of the sedan.
Volkswagen says the new Jetta will begin at $23,220 for the entry-level S trim, which is just $240 more than last year's automatic-equipped Jetta S. However, the loss of the manual on non-GLI models makes for a small premium over last year's $22,660 base sticker for the manual Jetta S. The refreshed sedan will hit dealers in the third quarter of this year, with full details and pricing for all trims to be released closer to that date.
Image Credits: Volkswagen
Revealed
Jul 1, 2024
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2025 Volkswagen Jetta Gets A More Streamlined Look, GLI Keeps Its Manual
While standard Jetta models lose the manual option, the GLI keeps the stick shift alive.
With the Passat now long dead and the Arteon only recently meeting its demise, the Jetta is now the only remaining gas-powered sedan in Volkswagen's lineup. Fortunately, the automaker is choosing not to ignore its rival to the Honda Civic, especially after it became VW's third-bestselling model in the first quarter of 2024. Now there's a second update in store for the seventh-generation Jetta to keep things fresh, with hopes that it will continue the recent jump in sales. The updates include sharper styling, more standard features, updates to the sporty Jetta GLI, and most importantly, an affordable starting price.
For 2025, the Jetta has abandoned last year's bland, rental-spec looks, and instead it injects some much-needed style with a thinner design for the headlights and upper grille, as well as a stylish LED light bar on higher trims and a full-width rear light bar connecting each taillight. Elsewhere, there are redesigned bumpers, new designs for the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels (including a black package available for the SE and GLI), and two new exterior color options––Monterey Blue Pearl and Monument Gray.
The cabin also dials in on style this time around, though cheap plastic materials continue to run rampant on the dashboard and center console. Nonetheless, some effort is visible with the new hidden air vents blending into three horizontal slats that span the upper area of the dashboard, along with a new floating design for the central infotainment display, which upgrades to an 8.0-inch format as standard for all trims. All Jetta models also come standard with dual-zone automatic climate control, though it's now controlled through VW's dreaded capacitive touch controls rather than the old physical buttons.
The SE trim continues to sit just above the entry-level S, and it adds a considerable amount of standard equipment, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice controls for the infotainment, a cooled wireless charger, SiriusXM radio, and two-tone perforated Microcloud leatherette seats. Elsewhere, the Sport now comes with black Molekular cloth seats, the SEL adds some new colors for its perforated Vienna leather upholstery, and the GLI adds red contrast stitching for its seats.
The new Jetta offers the same powertrains as before, which means the standard engine option is a turbocharged 1.5 liter inline-four connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission, sending 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels only. Unfortunately, the six-speed manual, which was available on last year's S and Sport trims, has been deleted.
The sportier Jetta GLI still sends 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque to its front wheels with a turbocharged 2.0 liter inline-four hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. While the manual has disappeared from the standard Jetta, Volkswagen looks to please enthusiasts by keeping it as an option on the GLI. Alongside the renewed manual, the sportier Jetta continues to differentiate itself with larger brakes, a limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, and upgrades to the exhaust system.
All 2025 Jetta models come standard with Volkswagen's IQ.Drive driver-assist suite, which includes radars in the front and rear, a camera in front, and an ultrasound sensor system. The package also comes with more advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking, a blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist, as well as Emergency Assist, which actively determines whether the driver is paying attention or not, and has the ability to use the brakes and activate the hazards if the driver is deemed to have lost control of the sedan.
Volkswagen says the new Jetta will begin at $23,220 for the entry-level S trim, which is just $240 more than last year's automatic-equipped Jetta S. However, the loss of the manual on non-GLI models makes for a small premium over last year's $22,660 base sticker for the manual Jetta S. The refreshed sedan will hit dealers in the third quarter of this year, with full details and pricing for all trims to be released closer to that date.
Image Credits: Volkswagen
